ED CHOU, MBA

***** ******** ****, ************, ** 44149

216-***-**** ꟾ adxue2@r.postjobfree.com

Dear Sir/Madam:

I am seeking employment at a professional or management level. Please find enclosed my resume for your evaluation and review.

I have excellent credentials, having graduated from Cleveland State University with a Master’s in Business Administration (M.B.A.). With over 15 years in auditing and consulting, my diverse experience covers finance, all areas of auditing (financial, operational, IT, and compliance), SOX/JSOX, compliance (local, state, federal, contractual and policy), governance, risk, fund accounting, reconciliations, implementation reviews, and managing staff. Additionally, I am well versed in all facets of consulting, project management, contract review, competitive pricing, market analysis, modeling forecasting, cost analysis, information technology, general accounting, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and financial analysis. Additionally, I am currently pursuing both a Certification in Internal Audit (CIA), and a Certification in Management Accounting (CMA).

Other phases of my career have given me professional experience in sales, marketing, new item promotion, customer relations, human resources, benefits, and much more. An extensive list of professional references from all phases of my employment history is available upon request.

These skills, combined with my outgoing personality, friendly demeanor, and positive attitude in addition to my ability to work with people at all levels of an organization, and identify issues from a wide variety of perspectives make me an ideal candidate for any organization. My phone number and email address are above. I hope you will contact me expeditiously, so that we may discuss how my skills, education, and experience can become an asset to your organization.

Sincerely,

Ed Chou

ED CHOU, MBA

15041 Parkwood Lane, Strongsville, OH 44149

216-***-**** ꟾ adxue2@r.postjobfree.com

SENIOR COMPLIANCE & AUDIT PROFESSIONAL

IT – FINANCIAL – OPERATIONS – COMPLIANCE

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Auditing ꟾ Technology ꟾ Governance ꟾ Risk Management ꟾ Financial Analytics ꟾ Accounting ꟾ Compliance

Internal Audit

Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)

Technology Audits

Identifying Risks

US GAAP

General Ledger

Account Balances

Income Statements

Balance Sheets

Internal Controls

Audit Reports

Compensation

Full SDLC

Cost Analysis

Escheatment

Process Improvement

Market Analysis

Financial Modeling

Competitive Pricing

Fund Accounting

NIST

SAS 70

HIPAA

Basel

COSO

ITIL

COBIT

JSOX

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

PROFICIENT: All Microsoft Office products, SAP, PeopleSoft, Protiviti, ACL, Baan, SharePoint, Visio, Documentum, Oracle, TeamMate, AS400, IBM Mainframe, AutoAudit, Primavera, BlackLine, OnBase, Workday, Archer GRC, ServiceNow and many others.

EDUCATION

CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY:

Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), GPA: 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.

Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA), Double Major in Marketing and Management, GPA 3.25 Dean’s List.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY – CONSULTING EXPERIENCE

Various Consulting Positions, Cleveland, OH 9/2020 – Present

Contractor/Independent Consulting

Interim Controls and Compliance Manager at Thryv (IT and Information Security).

oPerformed all aspects of testing for internal and vendor owned applications, including those sold to clients and used by the company that were procured from outside sources.

Controls and Compliance Consultant at Robert Half and Protiviti (2010-2022).

Business Analyst (Compliance) at Bank of the West.

oWorked with IT Control owners to meet compliance deadlines for internal objectives and reporting.

oDeveloped plans and insured compliance to internal goals for future testing and assessments on an ongoing basis (IT compliance sustainability).

oPerformed testing of other internal controls as needed to insure SOX compliance as week as financial reporting requirements.

Risk, Controls and Assurance Consultant at SOMPO International, Wells Fargo (Financial Crimes Unit), JP Morgan-Chase (IT Testing Team), USAA Insurance, Deloitte, BNP Paribas, Bank of Montreal, Parts Authority (Segregation of Duties--IT and User Access), Freddie Mac, and KPMG (2021-2023).

PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. (PNC BANK), Cleveland, OH 7/2018 – 9/2020

Assistant Vice President/Audit Senior—Information Technology, Issues Management Team

Assistant Vice President/Senior Compliance Specialist—Corporate and Institutional Banking, Enterprise Testing Services

Responsible for validating remediation efforts of all types of Information Technology issues identified thru Audit, Self-Assessments, and Independent Risk Management for one of the nation’s ten largest banks.

Evaluated evidence/artifacts provided by the auditee to determine the adequacy of remedial actions, determine compliance to corporate policies, and regulatory agencies.

Prepared work papers and presented findings to department management for evaluation and signoff of identified issues and control weaknesses.

Responsible for validation and performing assurance testing for a variety of internal controls in Corporate and Institutional Baking while contributing to the greater goals of Internal Risk Management.

Ensure that the enterprise is adhering to laws, regulations, policies and procedures, while monitoring risks, testing controls, while escalating potential concerns issues, and control failures to management.

Monitored compliance to banking regulations including the Fair Lending and the Fair Housing Act (FHAct) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) prohibiting discrimination in the granting of credit. Also monitored compliance to retail banking policies and regulations as well as the Military Lending Act.

Evaluated controls and compliance surrounding areas including privacy, disclosures, fraud prevention, anti-money laundering, anti-terrorism, anti-usury lending, and the promotion of lending to lower-income populations.

AMTRUST FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC., Cleveland, OH 10/2016 – 7/2018

Escheatment Supervisor - Finance, Accounting, Treasury, Special Projects

Compliance Supervisor, Assessments

Researched, developed, wrote, and implemented internal policies and standard operating procedures for a Fortune 500, multi-billion-dollar multinational full-service insurance and financial services company. Improved controls, standardized workflows across all subsidiaries, managed a full-time staff of four Treasury analysts, and four Business Analysts. Spearheaded efforts to develop and implement consistent practices across strategic business units, subsidiaries, divisions, etc. Implemented a ‘pro-active’ approach to state compliance and reporting in Escheatment’s and Assessments.

Developed and implemented tools to track and improve team performance and insure timeliness and completeness of department and company goals and initiatives.

Improved efficiencies with regard to human error, duplicated work /rework, and set benchmarks for staff performance. Provided feedback for training purposes, participated in new employee recruitment, interviews, annual performance evaluations, and corrective action. Insured compliance with SOX standards as well as with internal policies. Worked with internal and external auditors as needed for annual reviews and audits. Minimized outstanding liabilities to the company with respect to unclaimed properties due to the states.

Conducted a review of unclaimed funds on behalf of the company and recovered funds due to the company held in various state treasuries, identifying recoveries in excess of $2,500,000.00.

Oversaw continuous improvements in the escheatment and unclaimed property functions to ensure full compliance with state-to-state requirements. Kept management and staff informed of important changes in legislation so that full compliance can be maintained proactively thereby avoiding millions in fines, penalties, and interest due to untimely reporting to state authorities.

Worked with Controllers and other senior management in Accounting, Finance, Treasury, Legal, and Audit to gain support for new policies and procedures and acceptance across operating units. Participated as a key contributor in the implementation of Eagle, a web-based system for the management of escheatment functions and data on an enterprise-wide basis.

Developed standard monthly, quarterly and semi-annual reporting formats and procedures to Finance, Treasury, Accounting, and executive management. In addition, developed surveys to assess current practices across the company, identify weaknesses, and opportunities to improve controls and standardize/simplify work processes.

Developed tools to track and monitor outstanding items and deliverables to internal clients. Improved reporting to internal departments, stakeholders and management. Determined strategies and executed a variety of special projects as needed by Finance and Treasury department management. Managed and coordinated the introduction of new policies and tracked compliance due dates. Identified key stakeholders to assist with implementation and compliance at the local/entity level.

Collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to coordinate, research, interpret, and fulfill Data and Assessment Reporting from various regulatory agencies.

Produced assessment reports that are accurate, timely and meet the requirements of the regulatory agency making the request. Also, ensured reports were completed and documented in the most efficient manner.

Served as the first point of contact for all incoming property and casualty (P&C) related assessment requests.

Identified the appropriate sources of information and determined how team assets and assessments should be distributed/allocated. Pulled the data required to meet regulatory reporting needs and oversaw the validation of Assessment Invoices. Provided clear documentation for all assessments, including worksheets demonstrating how data was calculated and acquired. Established Audit trails for later review and reporting purposes.

Supervised Business Analysts processing the assessment reporting function. Provided the necessary tools for individuals on the team to perform an excellent job, and provided quality assurance as needed.

CONSULTING / CONTRACT POSITIONS, Cleveland, Akron, OH 1/2009 – 10/2016

Sr. IT Consultant – Interim Sr. IT Auditor – Audit Manager – IT Audit Manager – Compliance Consultant

Risk and Advisory Audit Consultant – IT Governance Consultant – Accountant – Quality Analyst

Various Consulting, Temporary, Auditing, & Compliance Roles

Performed compliance assessments for small to mid-sized businesses on a consulting basis with a particular focus on residential mortgage compliance (Lender’s Compliance Group).

Performed a variety of roles in as an Interim Senior IT Auditor supporting the audit department in testing and validating management IT internal controls as part of the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley while also participating in the execution of plant, division and corporate audits. Was a key contributor in the planning and execution of various IT audit and data analytics projects with respect to logical access, change management, general controls, SDLC, etc. Analyzed and evaluated the adequacy, effectiveness and efficiency of management control systems, processes and procedures in project areas that were complex or otherwise assessed as higher risk and involving significant operational, financial, management or technical considerations surrounding computerized information systems. Areas of reviews included logical access, change management, segregation of duties, SDLC, Active Directory, and termination of access processes. Reviewed supporting evidence, developed conclusions on the design, and operating effectiveness of IT internal controls. Also reviewed work papers of staff and “advanced” IT Auditors. Developed computer assisted audit techniques and furnish technical support to other internal and external auditors’ projects (Owens-Illinois via The Adecco Group).

Researched and developed controls benchmarking to reduce the amount of annual re-performance of controls testing thereby reducing the time and resources needed for annual SOX compliance while maintaining professional standards for IT and Internal Auditing. Performed extensive testing and documentation review with respect to SOX compliance requirements as they apply to Information Technology, Finance, and Accounting functions. Performed a variety of IT Audits in accordance to various standards and frameworks including COSO, COBIT, ITIL, CICA, Basel, ISO, PCAOB, SAS, ISACA, and others (Multiple Clients).

Specialized in performing and executing security assessments, gap assessments, and audits tailored to the business and its executives as needed. Assessments were conducted based on the following: PCI-DSS, Privacy, NERC, CIP, ISO 27001, HIPAA, TR39, SAS 70, SOX, NIST, GLBA and various other standards dependent upon client requirements at any given time. Participated in client kickoff meetings, internal meetings and training including CISSP training. Assessed client networks, performed testing on client systems to detect vulnerabilities, completed projects and client deliverables as well as internal status updates. Performed and assisted with review, testing, guidance, and insight for various clients including: The Ohio State University, Giant Eagle, JoAnn Stores, Rite Aid, AXA Equitable, and others during the course of Information Systems Security Audits. Evaluated and documented program change management processes, procedures, logical security practices, controls, data backup and access, disaster recovery, physical, and environmental data center security/controls, and SDLC (SecureState, LLC).

Provided guidance and advice to junior and staff level auditors, while reviewing work papers and working as a liaison between audit staff, executives, and IT personnel in an IT Audit capacity. (The Siegfried Group).

Developed and reviewed work of audit staff to ensure that logical and organized work papers clearly supported the work performed and the stated audit conclusions. Reviewed and followed up with the remediation process to verify that identified issues were resolved satisfactorily and in a timely manner. Presented findings to management both orally and in writing that clearly communicate any deficiencies noted and recommend appropriate corrective action. Contributed ideas to identify potential project or process improvement opportunities, executed the audit program procedures while simultaneously challenging the status quo while ensuring adequate addressing of risk. Worked with the external auditors to assist in execution of the year-end audit procedures. Supported the objectives of the internal audit department while remaining objective in assessing IT internal controls, maintained a high level of communications with audit leadership, audit customers and the audit team while participating in a consultative environment within the team, the internal audit organization and audit projects. Developed relationships with people at all levels within the organization (Owens-Illinois via The Adecco Group).

Performed and provided review, testing, guidance, and insight for a vendor servicing mortgages for many major banks with respect to IT compliance, disaster recovery, governance, banking regulations, client standards/policies, and best practices. Developed strategies with clients, Internal Audit, IT, and other internal departments to identify risks, control weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. Advised client with respect to outstanding unresolved items from prior audits (internal & external), and weaknesses with respect to IT control and compliance issues. Monitored the external environment for new regulations, client standards, legal requirements, etc. with an impact on the business and communicated developments to management (Lender Processing Services via APEX Systems).

Conducted a comprehensive implementation and security review of SharePoint for a regional public utility (Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, via Experis).

Performed extensive Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) testing for a variety of remote retail sales, service, branch and support facilities with respect to cash control, physical security, I.T. Systems access/security, inventory of capital equipment and goods, and assisted with other projects in Audit & Finance as needed (Time Warner Cable, Travel Centers of America, and Diebold, Inc.).

Designed Audit Processes for various departments, including I.T. to ensure future compliance to laws, regulations, industry standards, and corporate policies (Time Warner Cable via Kelly Financial Services).

Performed and executed a variety of audits for public entities including Townships, Villages, Municipalities, Public Libraries, and Cemeteries to ensure compliance to The Ohio Revised Code, and the State Auditor’s Compliance Manual governing the use and safekeeping of public funds for a Certified Public Accounting Firm (Varney & Fink, CPAs).

Assisted in auditing processes and controls of a key outside vendor. Identified opportunities for process improvements, and worked with vendor’s staff to identify and resolve problems. Assisted in research/compliance for upcoming initiatives including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, U.K. Bribery Act, and TPA health benefits audit (Forest City Enterprises).

Identified, claimed, and recovered $68,000.00 in unclaimed property (Cuyahoga Community College, Diebold, Inc.).

Conducted in-depth financial reviews/audits of domestic and international business units for a multinational corporation in Banking/Security services. Assisted in conducting a comprehensive Import/Export Trade Compliance Audit (Diebold, Inc.).

Performed testing of financial documents and account reconciliations to insure compliance with SOX standards, and internal corporate policies (Forest City Enterprises, Omnova Solutions, Avery Dennison, and Diebold, Inc.).

Performed financial, operations, and compliance audits for a major regional Medical and Life Insurance company. Reviewed all remote operations for indications of fraud and control deficiencies. Ensured that all compliance issues with respect to employment laws and regulations, insurance industry standards, and company policies (Medical Mutual of Ohio).

Performed a variety of financial, operations, and compliance audits for a non-profit, government funded educational institution. Ensured adherence to all compliance issues/terms with respect to use of government/public funds, and grants. Evaluated policy and compliance to “The Red Flags Rule” pertaining to payment cards (Cuyahoga Community College).

Participated in developing a control structure and best practices for a small healthcare related startup. Managed some day-to-day financial operations. Provided guidance on compliance issues such as HIPAA and IT security / privacy concerns (H-Choices).

BRIDGESTONE (FIRESTONE) AMERICAS HOLDING, INC., Akron, OH 1/2004 - 1/2009

Corporate Auditor/Lead Auditor

Benefits and Compensation Auditor

Evaluated current departmental/corporate controls on all audits and recommended enhancements. Prepared risk assessments and audit reports, presenting them to senior management along with recommendations for process improvement.

Evaluated monthly, quarterly, and annual operating results to determine opportunities for cost savings, profit maximization, and optimization of operational efficiencies.

Identified inconsistencies across operating units in practices and policies and identified ways to minimize them.

Planned, managed & performed all phases of audits from initial planning and announcement to post audit follow up.

Insured integrity financial statements, adherence to corporate policy, federal and state legal/regulatory requirements (SARBOX, JSOX, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, etc.).

Identified instances of systematic/control weaknesses and/or malfeasance on the part of employees and vendors.

Lead and assisted in the performance of a variety of operational and financial audits across business units and departments including plants, distribution centers, warehouses, subsidiaries/LLCs and corporate departments.

Managed projects to ensure successful completion on budget and in a timely manner.

Oversaw the implementation of audit recommendations, prepared reports on progress, and conducted follow up audits.

Reviewed and audited all benefits programs across all business units of a multinational manufacturing, retail, and financial services company. Forecast annual cost of benefits programs and projected annual benefit liability in instances where a material impact to financial statements would occur (IBNR).

Conducted an annual bank compliance audit in conjunction with external auditors at the banking and credit card operations of the retail organization to ensure compliance with Federal Reserve, and OCC banking regulations.

Worked with consultants, outside auditors, vendors, actuaries, and internal Controllers and Department Managers to accomplish audits promptly and accurately in a productive fashion.

Evaluated and compared various vendors to find the most cost-effective solution for various projects and benefits plans, and identified inconsistencies across LLC, business units, departments to minimize where possible.

Reviewed I.T. operations at TPAs and internal business units to insure best practices with respect to daily operations and compliance to various policies, legal requirements, and information privacy/security guidelines. Provided assurance that all vendors had security and privacy practices that were at minimum consistent with Bridgestone standards, best practices, or regulatory requirements.

Performed retail audits at store level to ensure compliance to corporate policies, occupational health and safety regulations, and to help maximize profitability of tire and service centers. Assisted in interrogations and interviews of employees when fraud or thefts became evident. Recovered over $90,000.00 in unclaimed property from state treasuries.

BRONIEC ASSOCIATES, Norcross, GA / Cleveland OH 10/1998 - 12/2003

Senior Auditor/Consultant/Audit Manager

Staff Auditor

Identified and recovered overpayments due to improperly assessed sales tax, freight charges, missed discounts, unapplied credits, and pricing errors. Audited accounts payables for duplicate payments due to systems issues, and human errors.

Prepared reports for top-level financial executives identifying problem areas and systems issues, which cause errors in the accounts payables system, and recommended possible solutions and improvements.

Worked with vendors to secure credits and refunds for erroneous payments. Recovered millions of dollars for diverse clients such as ICI-Glidden Paints, Parker-Hannifin, Rockwell Automation, First Energy, Lubrizol, TRW, Maytag, Frigidaire, Victoria’s Secret, IMG, American Electric Power, and many others. Maintained client satisfaction and relations while managing audit staff, and surpassing performance measures. Met with clients on a daily or weekly basis to discuss progress of audits, audit methods and procedures, client expectations, and recovery efforts. Prepared and participated in client opening and closing meetings.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

• Fluent: English / Chinese (Verbal), Basic: German. • Open to Travel. • Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Extensive List of Professional References Available on Request.

Contact this candidate